By: Tim

Tim — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 18:35:10 +0000

As you mentioned, it might be difficult for Tom Cruise to fly in current front-line fighters, in the way that he flew in the F-14, for the original Top Gun. The F-35 is operational in some respects, but is still in development, in others. To the best of my knowledge, the F-35, much like the F-22, will, most likely, not be produced in a two-seat version … only single seat. An F-22 pilot’s first solo flight in an F-22 is literally his first flight in the F-22. All flight training leading up to that first flight is accomplished using simulators. So, in order for Tom Cruise to be able to fly the F-35, any age restrictions, as you mentioned, would need to be waived. The F-35 is being produced in three variants for joint service in the USAF, the U.S. Navy, and the United States Marine Corp. Provided that one of these three services would be willing to do so, and with all necessary approvals from the Department of Defense, Tom would need to go through the full flight-training process, and pass all physicals, that any other flight-training candidate would be required to pass. I think he could handle it. I believe he is a skilled pilot, and has significant experience in other high-performance aircraft. An alternative would be for him to fly in F-18 Hornets, in the same way that he did in the F-14, for the original movie, as many of the F-18s that are currently in service, are two-seat versions. Other than these two options, CGI might be the only viable solution for making much of the aerial footage, at least for those that would involve Tom Cruise, himself, as part of the scene.

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By: Tim